Absence from work and emotional stress in women undergoing IVF or ICSI: An analysis of IVF-related absence from work in women and the contribution of general and emotional factors

Objective. To assess productivity losses due to absence from work during in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) treatment and to describe the pattern of IVF-related absence from work. Additionally, the influence of general and psychological variables on IVF-related absence from work was analyzed. Design. Prospective cohort study. Setting. Eight IVF hospitals participated in the study. Sample. Women undergoing their first treatment with IVF/ICSI. Methods. The Health and Labour Questionnaire (HLQ) was used to estimate the costs of IVF-related absence from work (n=384). Diaries were used to collect background information and reasons for IVF-related absence. Psychological data were derived using the Spielberger State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Beck Depression Inventory for Primary Care (BDI-PC) and the Inventory Social Relations and the Illness Cognition Questionnaire. Regression analyses were performed using two models, one without and one with psychological data, to assess the impact of the different variables on IVF-related absence from work. Main outcome measure. IVF-related absence from work and the costs of productivity losses due to IVF/ICSI per treatment. Results. Overall absence from work during IVF/ICSI treatment was on average 33 hours, of which 23 hours were attributed to IVF/ICSI. Costs of productivity losses due to IVF/ICSI were 596 per woman. Significant predictors of IVF-related absence from work were the number of hours of paid work, age and self-reported physical and/or emotional problems due to IFV treatment. Conclusions. Women experiencing emotional complaints and women with physical complaints due to IVF/ICSI reported significantly more IVF-related absence from work.